Angels and Hunters - Little Boy Blue
by 0penfire
Summary: On the way to their concert in Reno, Nevada, Dean learns that Castiel still has feelings for someone that he wrote a song for years ago. What Cas doesn't know is that Dean has been harbouring a crush of his own for years. (Set four months after my story "The Rule" in this Band AU.)


Dean slides into the Impala, placing the candy and taquitos that he'd bought from the gas station on the seat beside him. He juggles the cup of coffee into the cup holder, managing to not spill anything on his baby. Dean huffs with satisfaction. "And now, you are mine." He unwraps one of the taquitos and savours the greasy taste.

Dean startles out of his bliss when someone knocks on the passenger window.

Cas is at the window, shoulders sagging more than they normally do under his heavy army jacket. Dean leans over to unlock the door and Cas slips in without a word.

"Hello to you too." Dean shoves the butterflies out of his stomach as a scent that is so indisputably Cas begins to fill the Impala. "Are you getting tired of Gabe's Katy Perry impression?"

Cas throws his head back and pulls his beanie over his face. "I need to burn those CD's. Simply breaking them would be a fate too kind."

"Only you could make arson sound poetic." Dean shakes a bag of candy he'd bought at Cas. The guitarist reaches blindly for the bag and puts a handful into his mouth.

"Thanks."

Dean pulls off Cas's hat and tosses it on the man's chest. Cas squints at the bright light and glares at Dean through his messy hair.

"You're making me feel hot just looking at you." Dean takes a bite out of his taquito.

"You are hot," Cas rolls his eyes. He pauses when Dean chokes on his taquito. "Objectively," he clarifies. Dean coughs a few more times.

"What the heck, man!" Dean tries to clear his throat with some coffee. Cas just shrugs.

"You hear fans say it all the time. It must have some truth to it."

"Shut up." Dean coughs once more, finally feeling like he can breathe normally again. He turns the key into the ignition and the Impala roars to life. Dean steers out of the parking spot and passes Gabriel who is filling the van with gas. He rolls down his window. "I've got Cas. See you in Reno."

Gabe takes his hand off of the pump to make a heart with both his hands. Dean glances at Cas who is busy rummaging through some of the other candy bags Dean had bought. Dean turns back to Gabe and gives him the finger.

Ever since the guitar 'incident,' Gabe had been relentless in teasing Dean. He was convinced that Dean and his brother would make a great couple. Except he and Cas weren't a couple. And they never would be because Dean wouldn't jeopardize either their friendship or the band over a little crush.

Because that was all it was. A little crush.

Dean turns up the radio and switches it absently until he recognizes what sounds like an alternative rock station. Cas thanks him. He doesn't have to say for what.

Dean has seen the look of distaste on Cas's face after too much classic rock. Dean was willing to bend his taste of music in the Impala it meant Cas would work his way out of his bad mood caused by Gabe.

Dean was proud to say that around ninety miles into the trip, Cas was grinning and they were both singing their way through the Nevadan countryside.

Dean hears his phone ringing and turns down the radio. He glances at the caller I.D. before answering it.

"Hey, Sam."

"Dean. Gabe and I can't remember whether we said we'd get drinks with the band opening for us. Did we?"

"Seriously, Sam? You're usually the one on top of this," Dean teases. He tucks the phone into his shoulder and turns to Cas. "Did we say we'd have drinks with Hell Hounds after the show?"

Cas's eyebrows scrunch down. "Sam was the one to respond to their email; he should have remembered. We are leaving immediately afterwards because we need to get to Washington for tomorrow.

Dean takes the phone from his shoulder. "Nah, we're hitting the road again right after we pack up. Write this stuff in your calendar next time."

"Yeah alright. Thanks, Dean. Hey, what's that song on the radio?"

"I don't know. Here." Dean turns it up.

Sam is silent while he listens. "I thought it was something else. Oh well, thanks again."

"See you, Sam. Make sure Gabe is driving safe."

"Like you're one to talk." Dean hangs up with a laugh.

The song on the radio wraps up, and the announcer comes on. _"Hello, 90.5 – The Edge. Who's this?"_

A man with a nasally voice comes on the radio, introducing himself as Mike Hunt. Dean snorts at the unfortunate man. _"My brother is feeling down right now, and I want to cheer him up because we've got a few hours left in our road trip."_ Dean frowns and glances at Cas who looks ready to punch the radio. He hears a familiar snicker in the background of Mike's phone and it clicks. Gabe and Sam. _"He really likes the band Angels and Hunters and I was wondering if you could play 'Under these Stars' for him? It reminds him of someone he really likes."_

 _"Yeah, I'm sure we could do that for you."_ The opening riff of Cas's guitar fills the speakers.

Dean's heart falls right to his feet. That song was one that Cas had written for their second CD, and Gabe said it was for someone he _likes._ Present tense.

But Dean doesn't voice his thoughts. He just composes his face and turns to Cas. "Still holding a candle for an old flame?"

Cas won't meet his eyes. Instead, he punches the button which turns the radio off.

"Hey! Easy on the merchandise!"

"Gabriel is an asshole. And there is no merchandise here. It is just your vehicle."

"Yes he is. And for that blasphemy, don't ever to talk to me or my baby ever again."

"I hope that you are making a reference to something, for while it might be easy to not speak to the Impala, I think that working with you while I am not allowed to talk to you might be difficult."

"Meme-culture, Cas," Dean smiles. Well, on the bright side, getting over Cas would be significantly easier if someone else was in the equation. But if 'Under these Stars,' was written for someone, Dean wonders who.

After Dean knew the song was over, exactly four minutes and thirty two seconds later, he turns the radio back on.

 _"That was Angels and Hunters with 'Under these Stars.' They are playing a sold-out show tonight in Reno. If you're one of the lucky people going, send us a message on our facebook page! Up next-"_

Dean notices that Cas has put his beanie back on and looks like he's trying to sink through the seat.

"You alright, Cas? Want me to turn the radio off again?" Cas shakes his head but continues to fiddle with his coat sleeve.

"It is fine, Dean. Thank you."

Dean nods, keeping the radio to a lower volume while Cas continues stimming.

Only four more hours until they reached Reno, most of which was now going to be spent in quiet.

Dean has vivid images of himself punching Gabe which helps him through the radio silence from Cas.

Eventually Cas pulls out his phone and flips through what appears to be the band's twitter profile. Cas raises his phone, intending to take a picture of himself.

"Come on, Cas. Don't hog all of the limelight." Cas frowns and then works his way through the phrase. He holds his phone out farther to get Dean in the picture as well. Dean smiles through his aviator glasses, keeping his eyes on the road and giving the camera a finger gun.

"Caption that we're the best driving duo of the band."

"Why?"

"You'll see." A few minutes later, their twitter updates with another photo. Cas snorts and shows Dean a picture of Gabe and Sam who have apparently dug into the depths of the RV and pulled out paraphernalia from the previous legs of their tour. Gabe is wearing a coconut bra and yellow blinds glasses along with several leis. A pair of drumsticks are in his mouth like walrus tusks. Sam has his hat with moose antlers on making a peace sign with his eyes crossed and mouth turned down in an over-exaggerated frown. Their picture was captioned with 'Debatable.'

Twitter blow up with people reblogging the photos with comments like 'problematic faves,' and 'I love these losers.' Cas smiles as he relays their reactions to Dean.

He starts singing along to the next song that comes onto the radio, and Dean starts singing as well. The rest of the trip is spent much like the first part before Gabe's meddling.

-.-.-.-

Dean feels alive when he's on stage. Nothing could compare to the feeling of hundreds of people getting together to hear their band play. He moves like he's dancing alone in his room and the crowd eats it up. The energy from concerts are addicting, and like a junkie getting his fix, Dean keeps coming back to it almost every night.

The current song ends with reverb and Dean checks the set list at his feet. He feels his heart skip a beat when he sees the title of the next song. Cas begins playing the same rift that Dean had heard on the radio earlier that day.

Dean focuses on the lyrics that Cas had shown him one day, scribbled on a napkin while all four of them ate together in a 70's diner. He remembers Cas's flushed face at Dean's praise and the promise that they would hash out the song in the motel that night. He sings the words for Cas. Even though the song was written for someone else, he tries to forget that so he can give the song meaning for the crowd.

He feels the crowd pulse with energy and a part of him notices Cas' harmonies seem more improvised than usual. It all comes together as the stage lights flash around them. He makes eye contact with Cas and during the guitar solo, he walks over to him. Dean blames his imagination for thinking that Cas's flushed face was anything more than just the heat onstage. He takes in the energy that Cas is putting into the solo and channels it into the final chorus.

 _"Lips to be kissed,_

 _It's love with a twist._

 _This midnight is ours,_

 _Under these stars."_

The crowd cheers, and Dean walks back to the front of the stage to put his microphone back in the stand.

Dean turns to stage left to grab his guitar only to find Cas there holding his own acoustic up. He can only stand and stare in shock.

Cas leans in close to be heard over the crowd. "You know this one sounds best on my guitar."

And it did. It really did because it was written just months ago on the same guitar. Against all odds, Cas hadn't torn him limb from limb for touching the instrument in order to write the song.

Dean mouths his thanks and pulls the strap over his head. Dean attaches the amplifier to the sound hole and strums the guitar. As expected, Cas has it perfectly tuned. Dean continues strumming to give the sound tech time to adjust the volume. He makes small talk to keep the crowd engaged.

"It's so hot it here, I don't know how you're wearing that hat, Sam." Sam turns from talking to Gabe to speak into his own microphone.

"You'd know why if you had long hair," Sam says. "I'll choose a hot-head to a lion's mane any day."

Dean plays a quick strumming pattern and sings, "Weep little lion man, your hair is getting very out of hand." The crowd laughs at this and the sound guy gives Dean a thumbs up.

"Alright, you didn't pay to see me tease my brother. You guys might have heard this one on the radio. It's one of the tracks that will be on our new album coming out this fall." Dean nods to Gabe who counts them all in with his drum sticks. Cas has switched his guitar to a softer setting, plucking out notes as sweet as honey.

The audience is drinking in the words coming out of Dean's mouth. For some, it's probably the first time they've heard it, so Dean aims to make this version better than any they hear in the future.

 _"You sing like the angels,_

 _but they've got nothing on you;_

 _girl that I knew."_

Dean pulls away from the mic for an instrumental break and then jumps back into the second verse.

Dean had initially written the song for Cas as he played the guitar currently in his hands. He had edited the words slightly before handing it out to the band, changing the parts that hinted at Cas to a generic woman who no one would question. It had pained him to do it, but they needed songs to fill the space on their next album, and it had to be done.

From the second chorus, Cas moves to Sam so that they can get the timing right for the solo. Dean watches how Cas's fingers caress the neck of his guitar, how his angel wing tattoo peeks out from under his sleeveless shirt. Cas's nod to sing the chorus almost goes unnoticed. Dean takes a quick breath and sings.

 _"You're named after angels,_

 _but they've got nothing on you;_

 _little boy blue."_

Shit.

Those aren't the words.

Dean glances at his bandmates as they continue playing the song.

Sam smiles, looking like he's about to join Gabriel in laughter. But Cas stares at him with wide eyes, his fingers missing a beat, but quickly catching up to the rest of the instruments.

Dean repeats the chorus with the right words. Maybe the audience won't pick up that he'd messed up the words.

He glances at Cas again, but the guitarist isn't meeting his eyes even after the song is over. Dean walks toward Cas, apology on his lips, but Cas only extends his hand to take his guitar back from Dean. Dean hands it to him, trying to catch his eyes, but the guitarist is staring resolutely at the floor. Dean puts the guitar is his hands.

 _Shit. Shit. Shit._

Dean runs a hand through his hair. He wants to just walk off the stage now and apologize profusely to Cas. Instead, he walks up to the mic and chugs the rest of the beer.

"It's bad when you forget the words to a song. It's even worse when it's your own." Dean tries to recover with a smile at the audience.

"Anyways, here's one that I'm sure you all know. Feel free to sing along."

-.-.-.-

"What the hell was that?" Cas grabs Dean by the shoulder, turning him around and pushing him against the wall. He doesn't need to clarify. For the last half-hour, Dean had been trying to forget his mistake and focus on putting on a great show. He'd like to think he'd succeeded because the audience wanted an encore which the band was happy to provide.

"I'm so sorry, Cas. Those were the lyrics when I first wrote the song. You know how it is; can't make an omelette without cracking some eggs." Cas sets his jaw and his hands find their way to the back of his head. He looks like he's about to punch something, and Dean really hopes that it isn't him.

"Did you write that song about me."

"Cas-"

"Answer the damn question!" Cas yells into Dean's face.

Dean almost thinks of lying, but Castiel's glistening eyes shows that he already knows.

"Yes." Everything spills out of him. "I've been going through some feelings for a while now. Writing helps me get them out of my system because I know you're not interested in me and –"

"But what if I am?" Cas asks in a rush. His blue eyes widen in fear. Dean realizes that Cas's mouth must have betrayed the thoughts that he wanted to keep inside.

"What?"

Cas takes a deep breath and in an instant he is no longer the stoic tattooed guitarist who played solos in his sleep, but the the young bullied kid that Dean had fallen in love with. Cas begins tapping a finger on his thigh, looking for the right words. Dean waits for him to find them.

"What if I am interested in you?"

"Then I think that now would be a good time to kiss me." Cas pulls his head back in surprise. "Oh god, sorry, I mean –" Dean is cut off by chapped lips pressing against his own. It doesn't last very long, but it has Dean breathless.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"FUCKING FINALLY!" Dean throws himself backwards against the wall in surprise. "PUT IT HERE, SAM-SQUATCH!" The crack of a crisp high-five echoes through the backstage area.

"What the hell, Sam!" Dean knew that Gabe was practically shipping him and Cas, but Sam too?

Sam shrugs. "You aren't subtle, Dean. At all."

"Now hurry up, second-best-driving-duo. Finally declaring your love for each other is no excuse for not helping with tear down!"

Dean rolls his eyes and turns back to Cas. "Can we talk about this," he gestures to himself and Cas, "in the Impala?"

Cas nods and Dean can't help but place a quick kiss onto his cheek as he helps carry some of the equipment back to the van.

Just over an hour later, after everything is packed up and they have met with a few fans who were standing by where the van and the Impala were parked, Dean sidles into the Impala. He places two coffees into the console as Cas hops in from the other side. They wouldn't make it to Washington that night, but they would get a good head start for the morning.

Cas waves his phone at Dean. "Some people are speculating that you and I are a couple. It seems that you messing up the lyrics to your song has caused a bit of a stir."

Dean holds up his own phone in front of him. "Let's give them an answer."

"I don't understand how a picture will clarify the situation."

"Please just smile at the camera."

Just as Dean is about to snap the picture, he turns to Cas and kisses him on the cheek. Cas's reaction is to punch Dean in the arm, but not before Dean's phone catches their image. He shows it to Cas.

"Is it alright if I post this?" Dean wants to make sure that Cas is alright with this. With them. With letting thousands of people know what they only learned about themselves just hours ago.

Cas looks at how his own smile is lit up by the streetlights and how even though Dean's eyes are closed, his face radiates affection. "Alright."

Dean posts the picture in response to someone's tweet about his accidental lyrics and almost instantly, his phone is receiving countless notifications of people responding to and retweeting the picture. Overwhelmed, Dean closes the app and tosses his phone in the backseat of the car.

"That might have been a mistake," he admits, turning to Cas who has already downloaded the picture Dean posted and set it as his lock screen. Cas leans over and kisses him on the forehead

"I think that it's one we can live with."

-.-.-.-

 _AN: Hey guys! Thanks for all the encouragement to continue writing about this AU. I had a great time writing this!_

 _Just a few disclaimers/notes. When I started writing this chapter, I realized that I had characterized Castiel as having Aspergers Syndrome. I am by no means an expert on this subject, and if I have written anything which offends someone or that is wrong, please let me know so that I can correct it and educate myself._

 _Also, the song that Dean sings about Sam's hair is supposed to be a parody of "Lion Man," by Mumford and Sons._

 _That's all. Let me know what you guys think!_


End file.
